EAC Traders Avoid South Sudan Over “Harsh” Grain Checks

(JUBA) – As the East African Community (EAC) prepares for the 2025/26 grain trading season, persistent trade restrictions across member states are worsening regional food insecurity, inflating grain prices, and disrupting supply chains already strained by climate shocks, refugee flows, and declining humanitarian aid.

Authorities in several EAC countries continue to impose obstacles to the cross border movement of grain. These measures come at a time when many governments are struggling to feed their populations during seasonal shortages.

Uganda, for instance, has introduced a levy of $10 (46,000 SSP) per metric tonne on key by-products such as wheat bran, cotton cake and maize bran. The policy, introduced this financial year, aims to support domestic value addition, especially in livestock feed production. However, it has raised costs for regional buyers, including Kenya, which depends heavily on Ugandan grain for animal feed.

In Tanzania, inconsistent issuance of export permits has increased logistical costs, making direct purchases by foreign buyers more difficult and costly.

According to Isaac Kashaija, chairman of the Uganda Rice Business Association, these disruptions have broken down long-established trade networks.

“Foreign traders used to go straight to farms, buy produce, and move it using Ugandan trucks,” he said.

Now, due to red tape, the price of Tanzania’s Super rice variety has risen from 4,000 Ugandan shillings ($1.11 or 5,106 SSP) to 5,000 shillings ($1.39 or 6,393 SSP) in Kampala and surrounding areas.

“We have to wait either at the Mutukula border or in Kampala for Tanzanian drivers to deliver,” Kashaija added, citing delays in permit issuance.

Benjamin Mtaki from the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service highlighted that the grain export permit process is riddled with delays and inconsistencies. He noted reports of individuals receiving export permits despite not possessing any grain, further complicating the system.

South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania have all voiced concern over non tariff barriers. In South Sudan, grain imports are being retested, and additional charges are being levied. These include $150 (690,000 SSP) per container for inspection and $3,000 (13,800,000 SSP) for an electronic permit.

Sudi Mwatale, chairman of the regional truck drivers association, said protests against delays and fees at South Sudan’s Nimule border point have been ignored.

In April 2025, South Sudan implemented a Regional Cargo Tracking System and e-permit requirement that mandates tax payments before loading grain at the point of origin.

Traders and customs agents argue that South Sudan’s grain inspection system is out of sync with EAC safety standards. One contentious issue is the aflatoxin threshold. While the EAC standard allows up to 5 parts per billion (ppb) for aflatoxin B1, South Sudan continues to reject shipments from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania over alleged contamination.

“Retesting grain already cleared by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards is a revenue generating scheme,” said Charles Ongelech, a customs agent at Elegu border. “UNBS charges $75 (345,000 SSP), but South Sudan’s SSNBS charges $150 (690,000 SSP) for the same container.”

Patricia Bageine Ejalu, a Ugandan standards official, criticised South Sudan’s refusal to honour EAC certifications, calling it a violation of the community’s mutual recognition agreements.

In April 2025 alone, South Sudan blocked eight grain trucks for exceeding aflatoxin levels. From April to July, about 31,000 South Sudanese returnees were projected to face the most extreme levels of food insecurity, according to humanitarian estimates.

South Sudan’s scrutiny of grain imports is not new. Two years ago, authorities impounded 74 trucks over aflatoxin contamination. Since then, routine interceptions at Nimule have targeted maize, beans and flour.

The situation is further complicated by the country’s political instability. The house arrest of Vice President Riek Machar in March 2025 has triggered new waves of insecurity, affecting trade operations.

“Traders from Uganda have been killed in rebel ambushes, such as the September attack on a Kampala-bound bus,” said Anna Nambooze, TradeMark East Africa’s director for Uganda and South Sudan. She also cited illegal checkpoints along the Nimule–Juba road, which have pushed up transport costs.

Exporters are re-evaluating their participation in the East African grain market as the challenges mount. Recent figures from the Bank of Uganda show significant declines in the export of staple grains over the past year.